legs

A couple of weeks ago I went tripod shopping, and a salesman persuaded me to get the ligher, more compactifiable option... a "Promaster" something-or-other. It included a small ball-head I had no intention of ever using.

After a few chances to try it with the Bigmos on board, I threw it back. I exchanged it for a Manfrotto 294A3. Now those are REAL legs. I 'spect they'll do me for the rest of my life. And because it was headless, I even got a $30 refund on the swap, which can go toward a video head once I finally decide which one I want.

I took the Bigmos out to the wetland again, with a monopod, and also tried some handheld shooting. Lemme tell ya, handholding that gets old rather quickly.

One thing I want for that is a pair of small carabiners to hitch the neck strap to the shoulder straps of my daypack, to take the weight off my neck. But on the other hand, I still might return the Bigmos next week. Because though it's now taking adequate images, the degree of improvement over my smaller zoom is very minor compared to the vast increase in weight.